The Birth Story

It seems fitting that I write C's birth story on his 1 week birthday. I've been thinking about his birth day all day today, watching the clock and thinking back to what I was doing a week ago today. So, its finally time while C is sleeping in my dad's arms, my mom is reading on the sofa and RCW is passed out in bed to sit down and write down the memory, before the tiny details fade away in the excitement and chaos that is 3 hour feedings using my breasts and a bottle of supplement (thanks PCOS), meeting with lactation consultants and getting ready to be alone come Monday when my parents have traveled back to VA and RCW has gone back to work.

I know I was doing some 'live' blogging in the hospital, but I'm going to start at the beginning to get the whole story in one place. My apologies for retracing some steps, I hope you'll bear with me or skip ahead to where the 'live' blogging stopped last week.

*****

Tuesday, February 14 was Valentine's Day. I had planned a day of sweet treats for RCW, after all it was going to be our last Valentine's Day as just the two of us. The Monday night before I had left my usual post on the sofa with the DVR to hang out in the kitchen making a recipe I found on Pinterest, Heart-Shaped Cinnamon Rolls. I made the dough and got everything ready to wake up bright and early on Tuesday - 5:15am early - to bake the rolls, make the glaze and enjoy breakfast with my hubby before he left for work at 6:45am. While I didn't form the rolls into hearts correctly, they were super tasty and it was fun to be up together that morning. Usually, I'm asleep in bed while RCW is up and getting ready in the mornings. When RCW left for work, I kissed him goodbye at the front door and he commented, "Why don't you have a baby today so I don't have to go to work the rest of the week!". I laughed and told him I would do my best.

Once RCW left I started prepping his special Valentine's Day dessert - Cupid's Creme Brulee. I had to prep it in the morning to be able to set all day in the fridge. I was planning on getting home from work a bit early to fix our chicken alfredo and garlic bread and then toasting our brulee. It was all planned out to have a special 'just us' Valentine's Day.

Little did I know that morning that our Valentine's Day night would not involve dinner, nor my creme brulee!

I went to work and everything was normal. I knew my OB would be calling sometime on Tuesday to give me the results of my 24 hour urine collection. I thought I'd get the call later in the day because usually the doctors don't review results until later in their day and I get calls from nurses around 4pm or 5pm. I thought if something had been wrong, the doctor would have been alerted and I would have gotten a call early in the day. Work was busy, as I was trying to get things under control for my departure in 2 weeks and my temp was in so I was working with her to get her settled. I was so busy, I barely had time for lunch and scarfed down my turkey sandwich around 1:30pm. Moments after I finished my sandwich, my cell phone began to ring. I answered and my OB was on the line. She told me that my results showed my protein levels were above 300 and if I recalled anything over 300 would mean I had preeclampsia. I told her I understood and that I also knew it meant we were having a baby this week. I asked when we'd be having the baby - I knew her surgery day was Thursday so I assumed I would be admitted on Thursday, February 16 OR she'd send me in Wednesday, February 15 in the morning, like a 7am arrival. She said I was going to the hospital that night. I just laughed. Was she serious!? Tonight?! She said her nurse would be setting everything up, but she guessed that I would be admitted around 5pm. Um, it was 2pm. Did she know that?!

As she was talking about how she wasn't too concerned about negative side effects of the preeclampsia because my kidney and liver levels came back as normal, I didn't really hear her and I wasn't really listening. I sent an email to RCW, my mom and my dad at 1:47pm that read in the subject line: 'im being admitted to deliver tonight' then in the email I wrote, 'ill call soon'.

I finally got myself together and asked my OB what the plan was. She told me I'd be admitted and they would start ripening or softening my cervix all Tuesday night. (So much for my creme brulee chilling in my fridge!) She explained my cervix would be softened by vaginally inserting a pill every 4 hours. Then the OB from their practice making rounds Wednesday morning would start me on pitocin and break my water. I would labor all day Wednesday and we'd have a baby sometime Wednesday night. She kept reiterating that the cure for preeclampsia was delivery, but also pointed out I was at an increased risk of c-section. If the baby wasn't tolerating labor, if I had been laboring for 24 hours, if I stalled at 5 or 6 centimeters dilated or if Baby W wasn't descending down the birth canal, it would mean c-section. I told her I understood and I was fine with whatever needed to be done to deliver a healthy and happy baby. We got off the phone with her telling me her nurse would be calling shortly to let me know what time to get to our hospital to be admitted.

Once we were off the phone I called RCW. He didn't answer. I sent him a text message telling him if I didn't hear from him in 10 minutes I was going to call his office and track him down! (Calling his office is strictly a 911 event!). I called my mom next to see if she got my email. She was already on the way home from work and tracking down my dad so they could get in the car and on the road from Virginia to Kentucky. While I was talking to her, the nurse called.

She told me that the hospital was busy, but could I be there at 5pm? I told her yes, while I continued to freak out. I had to somehow get my office prepared for me to be gone for 12 weeks, get home, finish packing, take care of the dogs, get to the hospital and find my husband!

I tried calling RCW after I spoke with the nurse and he answered. I was a bit anxious and a little panicked at the prospect of having a baby in the next 24 hours so once he answered I went into freak out mode. Meanwhile, he was sounding a bit lost. I finally said, "Did you see my email!?", to which he replied, "No, what are you talking about." I filled him in and then he began to freak out as well. As surprised as I was, he was even more by the recent events. I begged him to finish up at work and be home by 4pm to help get things together and ready to leave the house by 4:30pm to get to the hospital.

In the next hour, I tried to prep my temp and get everything ready to be gone for 12 weeks. It was a bit surreal typing up my out of office message saying I would be out until mid-May. Again, I knew the day was coming, but I thought I had another 2 weeks to get things ready and settled. Not so much! I also had my coworkers asking questions and being excited for me, while I tried to remain calm, while freaking out inside. I left my office at 3pm.

But I wasn't heading home just yet. Luckily, I had used my lunch break on Monday to pick up some last minute items for my hospital bag since again luckily I had packed it over the weekend, but I had one more thing I wanted. I wanted to get a small canvas so they could put Baby W's footprints on it when they put them on the birth certificate too. So, with 2 hours to get to the hospital, I went to Michael's to buy a small canvas. Thankfully, there is a Michael's on the way home from work.

I got home and began to get everything together. Going over my checklist again and again and again. Trying to savor these last moments. Trying to hold it together. Trying to love on the pups. Waiting to hear RCW come in the front door.

He arrived and packed his bags as he wasn't planning on coming home from the hospital at all since my parents would be arriving and staying at our house to take care of the pups. I had called my mom again on the way to Michael's and they were already on the road and would be arriving around 11:30pm - midnight. It was becoming so real!

RCW packed up the truck with a bag for me, a bag for him, pillows for both of us, a blanket, our boppy pillow, the laptop and our camera. We were moving in! Before we left I told him we needed a final picture of our little family of 5 so we set up the camera and took a picture with the pups in the living room minutes before we walked out the door. As we left the house, I started to cry. Crying with tears of joy, tears of nervousness and tears of 'ohmygosh the next time I walk in this door we'll have a baby!!!'

*****

Before we went to the hospital we went to McDonald's to get RCW some dinner and I broke the rules of the nurse of no more food or drink and had a six piece nugget and small Sprite! We got to the hospital and found our way to Labor and Delivery's registration. They were waiting for me. I signed a lot of papers and got my hospital bracelet. Then they sent us down the hallway and through the double doors to the nurse's station to be shown to our room. At the nurse's station, we discussed they were waiting for me too. They took us down the hallway to a corner room, Number 12. RCW and I laughed as we walked into the room because it was the same room they showed us on the hospital tour back in December. It was a huge room and super nice. It was their spare room they show on tours and only use when they're full. Yay for us to get it!

I put on the lovely gown and my first nurse came in around 6pm and got us settled, but told us she was leaving at 7pm so we'd have a new nurse coming soon. The first nurse, I think was Brooke, and she took my history, got me hooked up to monitor my contractions and Baby W's heartbeat, inserted the first Cytotec and got me hooked up to my IV, which didn't really hurt, but she admitted she was worried it may come out as it wasn't in the best. RCW noted he had never seen so much tape on an IV. She also gave me my first dose of penicillin. I failed my group B strep test so in addition to getting Cytotec every four hours, I also got a dose of penicillin every four hours too. Then we settled in. Calling parents, texting friends and realizing we were having a baby!

Our night nurse, Jennifer, came in to introduce herself around 7:30pm. All was going well and RCW and I hung out and even watched the Valentine's Day Glee episode and New Girl. My 2nd dose of Cytotec would be coming around 10:30pm so we decided to stay awake instead of sleeping for an hour only to be woken up. We fought off sleep and had to eventually call our nurse at 11pm. We learned it was a busy night for L&D with many people being admitted. Our nurse later told us she thought it was because it was Valentine's Day and couples were having s.e.x. and causing contractions and coming to the hospital. It made sense! I got my second dose and we tried sleeping. I got about 2 hours of sleep before things got uncomfortable. I would sleep on one side and my hip would hurt. I would turn and the baby's heart beat monitor would get messed up. Then I would need to pee, which I needed RCW's help to do since I was hooked up to everything. He was a saint and woke up whenever I asked and helped me out of bed and carried my IV and monitor cords while I peed. L&D takes away any privacy or secrets a husband and wife may have, not that we really had any after battling infertility to get Baby W!

I didn't realize it, but my uncomfortableness was due to contractions. Around 3:30am, Nurse Jennifer came in. She examined my cervix and told me I was a tight 2. My OB's instructions were to use Cytotec until I got to 2 centimeters and then start Pitocin. Jennifer said since I was tight, she thought it would be best to do another dose of Cytotec and then in the morning they could start the Pitocin. We didn't argue and went with her suggestion.

That third dose made contractions so much worse. I was having horrible back pain. I couldn't sleep. I tossed and turned and moaned and groaned. I will admit there were times after 3:30am while I was miserable that I would look at RCW sleeping peacefully on the his sofa bed that I would get angry and frustrated. It didn't seem fair that he got to sleep and I was so miserable! But I knew he needed sleep to be his best for me the next day. And again, any time I needed him, he woke up and took care of me - taking me to the bathroom, helping me find the baby's heart beat and rubbing my back. He stayed up with me for about an hour around 5am and then slept another hour until our day nurse, Lori came in around 7:30amish.

*****

When Lori came in, she asked if I needed anything. Semi-joking I said, "Yes, I need an epidural!". She told me she would check with my OB after checking my cervix. My cervix was at a 3 by this point. After checking with my OB, it was decided that since my cervix was a 3 and I was having contractions every 2 minutes that I didn't need Pitocin and I could have an epidural. Yay! Now let me say this in terms of the contractions, I have never broken a bone, I've never had stitches. I don't know real pain. The nurses kept asking me my pain number and I would tell them I wasn't sure. It was the worst pain I've ever felt in MY life, but I had a feeling things would get worse if I didn't get an epidural! I would tell them pain numbers around 7 the whole time. I don't know if things were really that bad or maybe I'm just a wimp. I do know the fact that my front and my back were aching and hurting and in pain made the whole experience that much worse for me.

Lori was amazing and got me prepped for the epidural. Sadly, while giving me the fluid bolus my IV burst. I wasn't surprised. It had been stuck the night before and Jennifer had to flush it out twice. It stung horribly bad! Lori had to take out the IV on my left arm and reinsert one into my right arm. She was kind and gave me a numbing shot prior to inserting the IV so I honestly barely felt it. Thank goodness for something being pain free at this point!

By 9am, Dr. Jobi, the anesthesiologist came in. Lori asked RCW to leave and told him to come back by 9:30am. Dr. Jobi explained everything that he was doing. At first I was hesitant that he was going to tell me step by step what he was doing, I thought it would be better not to know what was going on. But in the end I was glad he was telling me everything because getting an epidural for the first time is a strange experience, so knowing what I was feeling was normal and right, was actually really nice. We started by having me sit up on the bed. Lori put a pillow in front of me and she stood in front of me. They had the hospital bed on the highest setting so I was sitting up really high. Dr. J told me to curl over my baby and push my tailbone down. I didn't know what he meant so Lori and Dr. J helped 'shape' me into a 'C'. Lori pulled my shoulders as I hugged the pillow. Dr. J started by pricking my back bone to find the right spot he needed. Then he told me I would feel a sting from him giving me the numbing shot. It did sting, but it wasn't horrible. Nothing was as bad as the contractions I had been having! After the numbing shot, he told me I'd feel pressure and to let him know if it hurt to the left, right or center. It never really hurt, but I did feel pressure. Again, it was a weird experience to feel something going into your back. I kept telling him I felt things in the center and that was the answer he wanted. He inserted more and more. Then he put in the medicine and it was cold! Nothing with the epidural hurt and it wasn't horrible not having RCW in the room. Lori and Dr. J were pros and super comforting during the whole procedure. He taped everything up my back and put me on a drip. Before he left the room I could feel my legs getting numb. Sadly, I could still feel some pain in my lower back and he said it was from the back labor. He explained that I would feel pressure and pulls, but no pain with the epidural. RCW came back in the room around 9:30am and Lori got me settled on my left side.

She left and I told RCW all about the epidural experience while the Today show played in the background. At 10am, Kathie Lee and Hoda came on for the 4th hour and I drifted off to sleep. It was amazing and much needed rest! Before I knew it, Lori was back as she would be turning me every hour.

At 11am she came in and helped me turn onto my back. It was so weird because I thought I'd be able to move my legs, but I really couldn't. Again, an odd sensation relying on someone else to move you. She told me that she was hoping Dr. E (my practice's OB on rounds Wednesday) would be in soon to break my water. I told her it was fine. We were content and I was happy to go back to sleep. I knew it could be a very long day and I had slept minimally the night before. Lori came back to tell me that Dr. E was on her way now and sorry for the tardiness. Apparently, she was about to come see me when Dr. J showed up for the epidural and then got a call to go to a hospital downtown for a delivery.

Dr. E came in around 11:30am. She was super sweet! She broke my water and I didn't watch . Lori had shown RCW and I the 'knitting needle' looking thing to break my water and I wish I hadn't seen it. Dr. E sat on the right side of my bed and I looked to the left. I didn't feel anything when they broke my water - absolutely nothing! No gush, no wetness, no pressure, nothing. Dr. E then wanted to put a heart beat monitor on Baby W's head vaginally as well as a vaginal monitor for my contractions. I felt nothing. It was awesome and I was so thankful for the epidural! It was during this that things got a bit crazy.

(Sidenote that new mommas or any momma really can appreciate and those expecting will soon understand, I wrote the above while eating dinner at 7:45pm. 3 hour feeding time of 9:15pm rang and now I'm back at 10:15pm to finish C's story while hopefully getting an hour of sleep before 12:15am rolls around. But in truth, I wouldn't have it any other way!)

Dr. E was trying to put all of these tubes and things inside of me to track things and I wasn't paying attention. Again, she was sitting on the right and I was looking at RCW to the left. He was watching, but was sitting on the sofa so he didn't have an up close and personal view of things. Lori was in there as well and I know they kept watching Baby W's heart beat and at one point I looked at Dr. E and saw that a tube she was holding was full of blood. Apparently, the tubes used to insert the monitors filled with blood on the first try. Dr. E told Lori to try flushing them and she'd be back soon. Lori tried flushing and nothing happened, the blood didn't go away. Dr. E was back quicker than I expected and the began warning RCW and I that we might need to do a c-section. I told her I was fine with whatever needed to be done. She explained that there was some blood and she was trying to reposition the monitors so they tried inserting the tubes again. Again, they filled with blood. Again, the blood wouldn't flush out. At this point Dr. E told us that she was pretty certain due to the blood that my placenta had detached from my uterine lining. Not a lot, but a bit and I had an abruption.

I didn't grasp the seriousness of the situation. I don't know if RCW did either. Dr. E said she was going to call my OB, Dr. N and speak with her. She returned in moments and said Dr. N was en route to the hospital and wanted to see me for herself. But within moments, it felt like, things went from bad to worse. Baby W's heart beat was dropping. It had gotten really low and then would jump back up. Lori and Dr. E did an amazing job of not saying anything too foreboding to freak me out. Again, I didn't realize how serious the situation truly was. Dr. E made the comment that Dr. N just needed to trust her and we were going.

Literally within minutes our room was flooded with doctors and nurses. Some guy introduced himself to me as Rob and he'd be taking care of anesthesia. RCW was being told to put on scrubs by one nurse, while I told him to remember the camera and another nurse was telling him to get all of our stuff together and out of the L&D room. Lori was putting an oxygen mask over my face to help stabilize myself and Baby W. Then I saw my mom coming in the room.

Luckily, she and my dad had been en route to the hospital with lunch for RCW. We didn't know where they were because apparently they arrived at the same time doctors and nurses were rushing into our room. My dad told me after the fact that he heard someone mention 'resuscitate' in terms of Baby W because the heart beat had gotten so low. I'm beyond thankful that Lori and Dr. E never let on to me how horrible things were for me and Baby. RCW tried calling my mom's cell to see where she was when he was told to prep for the OR while also getting things out of our room (apparently I would be moved to a postpartum room and the L&D room needed to be cleaned for someone else, we wouldn't see that room again!) Luckily, he heard my mom's cell ringing in the hallway and pulled her in the room to grab our stuff so he could get ready and come into the OR. Thank goodness they were there or our stuff would've been sitting alone in a hallway somewhere or RCW wouldn't have been in the OR.

The next thing I know I was being wheeled past my mom and RCW and out of the room. In a hurry. It was a true emergency c-section with Dr. E going in because my OB, Dr. N wasn't there and it couldn't wait. I wasn't nervous or too scared as we went down the hallway. I don't think I was really getting it...still. But the scene was straight out of a movie or Gray's Anatomy. When they pulled me up to the OR and then rolled me inside, things started to get real. And I started to cry. There were what felt like 15 doctors and nurses in there...and there probably were or close to it. Dr. Jobi showed up again to take over my anesthesia. He was great and really took care of me. Wiping my tears and telling me he would make sure I was taken care of. We realized when he did my epidural earlier in the day that his son goes to the campus where I work so he joked that I would take care of his son and he would take care of me. And he did. I feel like I should give him a gift for his compassion and caring he showed me, especially when I was in the OR alone.

They rolled me into the OR in my L&D bed so they had to switch me to an OR table. And here is where even though I was nervous, I wasn't crying and scared just yet. I couldn't move my legs or my butt, how were they going to get me onto the OR table. Couldn't I just stay in the L&D bed?! I looked at Lori who was by my side the whole time and said, "I'm a big girl, how are yall going to do this?!" She told me not to worry that they could do it and to trust them. I kept saying, "Are you sure?!" Yup, even going into an emergency c-section here I was worrying about my weight and putting people out because of my size!

Once they rolled me onto the OR table, which was done quite efficiently and effectively, they strapped my arms down on either side of me and Dr. Jobi started my meds. Within seconds I felt ill and thought I was going to throw up. He asked how I felt and I told him sick. He told me not to worry and he would put some medicine in my epidural line that would make me feel all better. Sure enough, within minutes I was feeling better, but crying. He then told me he was going to pinch my sides to make sure I couldn't feel anything. My right was completely numb, but my top left still felt a bit of a pinch. He upped the meds and tried again and I was ready.

Finally, they let RCW come in. As he walked towards me I cried again. At this point I think it hit me that something could be wrong with our baby. I wasn't worried about me, but about Baby W. And I couldn't stop crying. We had gone through so much to get pregnant and stay pregnant. I was scared something was going to happen in these last moments to our precious baby. I think I cried the entire time they were operating on me. Oh and I was careful not to look up! A friend told me during her c-section she hadn't realized it but the lights and things above her showed a reflection. The last thing I wanted was to see them cutting me open so I was very careful not to look at the ceiling!

As soon as RCW was in the room, Dr. E started cutting. I didn't feel anything. I told RCW to stand up and watch. Our OB said he could, if he wanted and he could take pictures. I told him I was fine and to watch. He stood beside me and I remember at one point Dr. Jobi telling me I would feel some pressure from them moving my bladder (I think), but I didn't feel anything. I was too scared and anxious to register anything. Then I heard Dr. N come rushing in the room. I heard them talking about how she couldn't find a parking space and had to park on the top level of the parking deck and rush over. She came in just in time to basically pull Baby W out of me. RCW watched and took pictures.

And finally I heard a sweet cry at officially 12:26pm. Not even an hour after Dr. E came in to break my water. But, oh my gosh. That cry! It makes me cry now thinking about it. Our baby. Everyone was talking about how much hair baby had! I still didn't know if it was a boy or girl. RCW looked at me and smiled and told me the baby was fine. I finally said, 'What is it?!' I think RCW and Dr. N said at the same time, "A boy!". Dr. N said she was sorry for not saying it earlier and RCW told me later that he was sorry too and it just didn't register. When they pulled C out, RCW saw his little parts in all their glory so he knew immediately. No one said it out loud so poor momma was lying there wondering!

They took C to be checked out by the neonatologist and nurses. He was weighed and measured. I could still hear him crying which was all I needed. By this point, I knew our baby was here and safe and I was exhausted. I had stopped crying, but it was taking all of my energy to stay awake. RCW finally brought C over to me and introduced me to our son. It was amazing, but honestly I was fighting to stay awake at this point. They were sewing me up and the room was clearing out. The neonatologist and nurses came to say C was healthy and doing great and congratulations. Other nurses told me congratulations and left. Dr. J told me congrats and good job and all was going to be fine now and he left. RCW was sitting beside me holding C. He let me kiss him and nuzzle on him cheek to cheek, but again I was falling asleep so he just sat there beside me holding C.

As the doctors were sewing me up some more fun happened. Oh yes, its not over yet.

Dr. N was calling for an X-ray. You may be wondering why, as was I in my half awake state.

You see, in the emergency situation that was C's birth, they called the operation a 'splash and dash'. They needed to get in quickly so they didn't sterilize everything as usual, meaning when it was done they sewed me up as quickly as possible. To make matters worse, with Dr. E and Dr. N both operating on me, there were two different sets of policies in place. Apparently, each doctor uses different methods and wants different tools when they operate. In the quickness and craziness and switching of Dr. E and Dr. N, a count on needles was done incorrectly. When Dr. N was done and they apparently counted her needles, she was missing one. They feared that it had been left inside of me! So an X-ray was called for.

Once the X-ray was done, I was moved to Recovery where Lori continued to take care of me and RCW and C were allowed to stay with me. I was tired and having trouble staying awake, I was freezing and I was done with not being able to feel my legs. In another semi-awake state I heard them bring the X-ray in to be reviewed and I panicked that I was going to be cut open again! The issue at play now was that the X-ray was called for so quickly that they didn't do a detailed request so the X-ray showed my epidural line and my catheter. Dr. Jobi was brought in to confirm all that was being seen was the epidural and catheter and nothing else. I was given the all clear and the confusion between numbers of needles due to Dr. E and Dr. N switching was cleared up as well. Nothing was left inside of me! Again, thank goodness!

Once that was done, Lori was much more attentive. She wrapped me in a crazy suit that was blown full of hot air to warm me up and put additional blankets over me. When I was finally warming up, I was able to wake up more too, but still couldn't feel my lower half. She said it was time for some skin to skin time with C so they moved the blankets back and pulled my gown down and RCW pulled C on my chest. It was magical and heavenly and perfect.

We stayed like that for some time. A little family of 3. All the while RCW was getting text after text. We hadn't really updated anyone since my epidural that morning. We were waiting for my water to be broken and given an update on my cervix before texting anyone. But then everything changed so quickly. RCW was able to tell people I was going in for a c-section and then he told everyone that the surgery was over and momma and baby were healthy and well. But he never told anyone what we had! So his phone was blowing up with people asking. However, he was a good daddy and even better husband and didn't tell anyone. He kept telling people that I was in recovery and hadn't even held the baby yet. He didn't want to tell people when I had barely had time with our son myself. My parents were waiting patiently in the waiting room this whole time and he asked if I wanted to tell them when we got to Recovery. I told him no, that I wanted to be coherent when we told people. So we waited to share the news that it was a boy - sorry family and friends!

Finally, I was warm and awake and beginning to get some feeling back in my legs and was able to wiggle my toes. Lori said we could have my parents come back to Recovery so we did. As they walked back to see us, I had C on my chest still and covered up his little blue hat. When they walked into our little curtained area, I pulled back the covers and said meet your grandson, C! They looked at him in wonder and commented again on all of his hair and how much he looks like RCW. They stayed a bit and then Lori said it was time to try breast feeding so they left. We tried and C latched on well to my right side, or so we thought, and stayed on for about 10 minutes. We didn't get to go to the left because it was time to move me to my postpartum room. Mom and dad came with all of our bags, Lori bundled up C who was required to ride with me on the bed through the hospital hallways and RCW walked by our side. We went through hallway after hallway and up in an elevator and down more hallways until we reached our room, number 313. It was around 3pm at this point.

Our birth photographer, Jes, who was en route when we went into the c-section so she missed any before delivery shots and wasn't allowed in the OR, which we knew would be the case, stayed waiting. She came with us to the postpartum room and started snapping pictures in there.

Once we got in the room, we said goodbye to Lori. Again, she was an amazing nurse and I feel like I should send her something to say thank you for taking such amazing care of me and C and making sure I stayed calm during the whole crazy ordeal. It was a blessing to have a caring nurse and doctor who ensured I didn't get the whole story and freak out, making matters worse!

Our new nurses - one for me and one for C - were introduced. Mine started asking questions and getting me settled with an exam of my stitches and vitals while C's began checking him. Then it was time for his first bath and stamping his feet. RCW remembered and got the nurse to stamp his feet on our little canvas, which had been bought about 24 hours before. Then they gave me C again to hold skin to skin to warm him up. I got to hold him that way for a good 30 minutes until his temperature was high enough to be bundled up on his own. Jes and my parents waited patiently - my parents to hold him and Jes to take photos. Finally, he was warm and bundled and everyone got to hold C. Jes took pictures and it was great. I'm so glad we had her there even though she didn't get to capture his actual birth. Once we had all the pictures we wanted, Jes left.

Mom and dad stayed to visit and my cousin Sarah and her husband came to visit as well. Everyone left around 9:30pm and again it was just the 3 of us.

C's birth was awesome. It was an unexpected surprise to be admitted on Tuesday, February 14. It was an unexpected surprise to welcome Baby W into the world 2 weeks early at 38 Weeks on the dot. It was an unexpected turn of events that took us to an emergency c-section. It was a surprise to find out Baby W was Baby Boy C at 12:26pm on Wednesday, February 15, 2012. And its been a week full of surprises since then. Each moment I try to savor and will try my hardest to document. But the most important piece to share and keep fresh was the memory of C's birth. Thanks for sticking with me - if you're still here reading. Thank you for your love and support and comments through our journey to get pregnant and through our pregnancy. I look down at C and just thank God he is ours and he is here and sit in wonder of the miracle that he is and how blessed we truly are to have him in our lives! Once I get our pictures from Jes, I'll do a picture post of C's birth story. Even though Jes wasn't there to document all of it, RCW did a great job making sure we had pictures to tell our story!

And for those wondering what C stands for, maybe you missed it. His name can be found in this post.

And I feel the need to give a shout out for the whole world to see to RCW. He was amazing during every single little moment. From step one of getting pregnant to now with having a newborn at home. C is lucky to be able to call RCW his daddy and I am beyond lucky and blessed to call RCW my husband and my best friend. I couldn't have gotten through everything without him by my side and he was truly by my side the entire time. Thank you babe for being such an amazing man. For helping me, for loving me, for giving me our son, for being there for the ups and downs. Thank you! Love ya babe! xoxox